Device for extracting and using auxiliary power

ABSTRACT

A device for extracting auxiliary power from a power source installed on or associated with an implement, and supplying the auxiliary power to an auxiliary tool associated with the implement. The invention is preferably employed in the context of an auxiliary tool, e.g., in the form of a rotary trimmer, edger or the like, associated with another power implement, such as a lawnmower, wherein the power is preferably extracted from a driven member of the implement. Advantageously, the device is easy to attach/detach, is universally locatable and/or orientable on the implement, and is easily retrofittable to practically any existing implement, such as a lawnmower deck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for extracting auxiliary powerfrom a power source, and more particularly to a device for extractingauxiliary power from a power source installed on or associated with animplement, and supplying the auxiliary power to an auxiliary toolassociated with the implement. In a typical preferred embodiment, theinvention is advantageously employed in the context of an auxiliarytool, e.g., in the form of a rotary trimmer, edger or the likeassociated with another power implement, such as a lawn mower. The poweris preferably extracted from a driven member of the implement, whichmaximizes retrofitability.

There have been many prior attempts to provide devices for extractingauxiliary power from a power source, including in the context ofsupplying auxiliary power to an auxiliary tool such as a rotary trimmer.One such attempt is illustrated in Qualls U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,254, whichrelates to a hand-held string trimmer that is powered by the engine on apush lawnmower, by attaching a collar member 28 to the top end of shaft16 of the motor power source 12 of the lawnmower and connecting thecollar and trimmer with a flexible drive shaft. Attachment is by meansof a detent fit between circumferential shoulder 36 of a firstcylindrical locking member 32 and recess 44 extending circumferentiallyabout the interior of coupling member 42. Similar is Beaver U.S. Pat.No. 4,242,855, which also discloses the option of additionally driving asprayer pump from a pulley attached to the top end of the motor driveshaft.

Another attempt is illustrated in Owens U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,976, whichis directed to an attachment for edging or trimming grass that isdesigned to be attached to a lawnmower or a vehicle/riding lawnmower bya bracket, in such a way that the edger/trimmer head can be raised,lowered and rotated with respect to the bracket. At the end of the headopposite its cutting members, there is a quick disconnect joint whichallows either an electric motor to be mounted and energized byelectrical power available aboard the mower, or alternatively allows acable drive to be mounted which drives the head from a friction drivemechanism taking power from the mower engine shaft.

Borunda U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,208 discloses an alternative arrangement forpowering an edger from the engine of a push lawnmower. A bevel gearmounted on the vertical drive shaft of the engine allows selectiveengagement of a mating bevel gear to drive the trimmer. The mower bladeis also selectively engageable.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,768 to Dunn describes a device such as a pushlawnmower that has a gasoline-powered engine/generator mounted on themower deck. This generator can be used to power an electrically-drivenmower blade, or alternatively an auxiliary device, such as a trimmer.

Several other devices have been proposed in which an auxiliary pulley issecured to the drive mechanism of a mower, where this pulley is employedto drive an auxiliary trimmer. On such device is shown in Ould U.S. Pat.No. 4,715,169, which has a trimmer mounted on the mower deck and aflexible shaft driving the trimmer from a secondary pulley that isbelt-driven from the auxiliary pulley attached to the top end of themotor drive shaft. Bares U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,518 discloses an edgetrimmer assembly that is mountable on the deck of a lawnmower, such as ariding lawnmower having a mower deck comprising a plurality of cuttingblades. In one embodiment, the trimmer is driven by an auxiliary v-beltsurrounding an auxiliary pulley attached to one of the pulleys that ispart of the mower deck and is used to drive one of the blades.

In addition to the Bares patent, two other patent documents (HatfieldU.S. Pat. No. 7,219,488 and Heighton US 2004/0237491) are illustrativeof today's state-of-the-art regarding the professional/commerciallawnmowing trade, in which the use of an auxiliary trimmer device isfound to be very desirable in order to increase efficiency and lower thelabor cost of caring for extensive areas of lawn, e.g., cemeteries,office buildings, parks, public buildings, schools, etc. Most typically,the so-called “Zero-Turn-Radius” (ZTR) riding lawnmowers have been foundto be most efficient and are consequently used for the most significantpart of this trade, in which there is usually a company-owned fleetcomprised of a plurality of mowing machines that, over time, evolve (dueto addition and/or replacement) to include machines of multipledifferent configurations.

In most of these documents, the intent is to provide an auxiliarydevice, such as a trimmer, that is retrofittable to existing commerciallawnmower models. However, in each instance, the respective devices arepractically limited to a very small number of commercial products,and/or the retrofit requires substantial and not quickly reversiblechanges to existing commercial machines, e.g., firmly attachingauxiliary drive parts to a shaft that is either an engine drive shaft orpart of a pulley for powering a mower cutting blade. Furthermore, eachof the many commercially available Zero-Turn mowers is configureddifferently (as is the case for nearly all other designs for lawnmowers,large and small), such that there is virtually no practical possibilityto utilize any of these devices interchangeably from one machine toanother. Although the use of magnets has been known for centuries totemporarily attach items together, including temporarily holding aflashlight, even on a lawn mower (See US 2016/0116145A12), magnets arenot deemed suitable for attaching parts of machinery together,particularly driving/driven pairs of parts and/or moving parts that aresubject to forces and/or vibration, as in the context of, for example, apower lawn mower.

The same is true with respect to the mechanism for mounting an auxiliarytrimmer onto the body or mower deck of these commercially used mowers.Apart from having to detach and re-attach the specially configuredbracket mechanisms when attempting to switch between different mowermodels, in many cases the brackets will not readily fit onto differentlyconfigured mower decks. In addition, there are mutually-contradictorydemands, on the one hand, to be able to easily move an auxiliary trimmerinto the needed orientation vis-à-vis the mower deck, and on the otherhand, to simultaneously protect the trimmer from damage and/ordetachment upon inadvertently striking an obstacle with the trimmer.

For these reasons, the market does not currently offer a practical,universally usable and retrofittable auxiliary trimmer attachment,whereby those responsible for maintaining large tracts of lawn have notbeen able to make full use of the economically advantageous option ofsimultaneously mowing and trimming utilizing a single mower unit,especially in the case of commercial fleets of mowing machines thatcomprise plural machines of differing configurations. There is a currentdemand for a product that is capable of fulfilling this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there has beenprovided a device for extracting auxiliary power from a power sourceinstalled on or associated with an implement and supplying the auxiliarypower to an auxiliary tool associated with the implement, comprising: acoupling device that is adapted to interact with the power sourceinstalled on or associated with the implement, wherein, when thecoupling device is positioned to interact with the power source, thecoupling device extracts auxiliary power from the power source; anauxiliary tool associated with the implement in a manner such that theauxiliary tool can be operated by means of the auxiliary power that isextracted by the coupling device from the power source that is installedon or associated with the implement; and an auxiliary power transmissionarrangement for transmitting auxiliary power from the coupling device tothe auxiliary tool, wherein at least one of the coupling device and theauxiliary tool comprises a magnetically actuated attachment member forassociating the coupling device and/or the auxiliary tool with theimplement. Most preferably, both the coupling device and the auxiliarytool comprise a magnetically actuated attachment member.

In some preferred embodiments, the coupling device is capable of beingmanipulated into a plurality of arbitrarily-selectable spatialconfigurations to accommodate unique shapes of a plurality of differentimplements, preferably by having a plurality of supporting parts, atleast some of which are movable laterally and/or adjustable in verticallength. Most preferably, the number of spatial configurations is verylarge, to accommodate mounting on nearly any machine configuration.

In some preferred embodiments, the power source comprises a moving parton the implement which is driven by the power source, preferably theshaft of a pulley on a mower deck, most preferably a bolt head or a nuton a drive- and/or a driven-pulley. In these embodiments, it ispreferred that the coupling device comprises a socket that fits over thebolt head or nut.

In other preferred embodiments, the arrangement for transmittingauxiliary power comprises a shock-absorbing and/or break-away mechanism,to deal with the case of an auxiliary tool stoppage or disruption. Mostpreferably, the auxiliary tool incorporates a break-away feature in itsmounting on the implement, and/or a shock-absorbing feature.

In one of its most preferred embodiments, the invention is embodied on aridable lawnmower, such as a self-powered mower, a towed mower or afront mounted mower, preferably a self-powered mower, such as a lawntractor with mounted mower deck or a dedicated riding mower, mostpreferably a Zero-Turn mower of the sit-upon or stand-upon type. Theinvention is equally applicable to older models of ridable lawnmowers,such as those comprising a lawn tractor with a detachable mower deck, atractor having a side-mounted mowing device and/or a towable mowingdevice that is designed to be towed (or pushed) by any kind ofpulling/pushing device, including a tractor, lawn tractor, a vehicle,such as a truck, and/or utility vehicle, such as an ATV.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there hasalso been provided a device for extracting auxiliary power from a powersource installed on or associated with an implement and supplying theauxiliary power to an auxiliary tool associated with the implement,comprising: a coupling device that is adapted to interact with the powersource installed on or associated with the implement, wherein when thecoupling device is positioned to interact with the power source, thecoupling device extracts auxiliary power from the power source; anauxiliary tool associated with the implement in a manner such that theauxiliary tool can be operated by means of the auxiliary power that isextracted by the coupling device from the power source that is installedon or associated with the implement; and an auxiliary power transmissionarrangement for transrnifting auxiliary power from the coupling deviceto the auxiliary tool, wherein the coupling device is capable of beingconfigured into a plurality of different configurations and is therebycapable of being retrofitted to any of a plurality ofdifferently-configured power source arrangements.

In some preferred embodiments, the power source installed on orassociated with the implement comprises a moving part, preferably amoving part that supplies rotary power to cutting blades on theimplement. This moving part is preferably either a drive pulley or, morepreferably, a driven pulley providing rotary power to the cuttingblades, and is preferably part of mower cutting deck. Preferably, thecoupling device is selectively engageable with the moving part toextract auxiliary power from the moving part. Such engagement ispreferably achieved by the coupling device comprising a socket thatcouples with a bolt head/nut on the moving part, which is preferably adrive- and/or driven-pulley.

In certain preferred embodiments, coupling device comprises at least onemovable/adjustable support member for supporting the coupling device onthe implement, to provide for customized retro-fitting of couplingdevice to a plurality of different implement configurations.

In other preferred embodiments, the coupling device has a magneticallyactuated attachment member that fixes the coupling device in an engagedpower-transmitting position with respect to the power source that isinstalled on or associated with the implement.

In other preferred embodiments, the auxiliary tool comprises amagnetically actuated attachment member that provides at least one ofthe following advantages: associating the auxiliary tool with theimplement in such a way that the tool is capable of plural (preferably alarge number of) arbitrarily-selectable mounting configurations upon theimplement, and in such a way that the tool includes the possibility of ashock absorbing and/or break-away protection in the event of a collisionbeyond a pre-selected magnitude of force.

In some preferred embodiments, an auxiliary tool support arm can beeither fixedly attached to a support post, or it can be attached in amanner that provides vertical adjustment, lateral adjustment and/orrotational adjustment to the auxiliary tool attached. In one embodiment,the support arm can be adjusted in height and/or horizontal arc ofrotation with respect to the support post, and/or the arm can be mountedfor articulation in a vertical arc to provide vertical adjustment of thetool 50.

In another preferred embodiment, the support structure provides forselective lateral adjustment of the auxiliary tool by the implementoperator, e.g., wherein the auxiliary tool further comprises a devicefor selectively adjusting the lateral position of the auxiliary toolwith respect to the implement, preferably a remotely controlledrack-and-pinion device.

In other preferred embodiments, the power transmission arrangementcomprises a shock-absorbing and/or break-away feature to prevent damageto the arrangement in the case of slowdown and/or stoppage of theauxiliary tool. Preferably, the shock-absorbing and/or break-awayfeature comprises a clutch mechanism installed in a flexible drive cablearranged in a power-transmitting relationship between the auxiliary tooland the coupling device.

In other preferred embodiments, the power transmission arrangementcomprises a means for selectively engaging and disengaging the auxiliarytool that is attached to the power-supplying implement. One selectivepower engagement/disengagement mechanism is capable of selectivelylowering a socket piece into engagement with bolt head, and selectivelyraising the socket piece out of engagement with bolt head, preferably bymeans of a helical slot and pin arrangement.

Further objects, advantages and preferred embodiments of the inventionare described in and/or will become apparent from the detaileddescription of preferred embodiments that follows, when consideredtogether with the accompanying figures of drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical prior art Zero-Turn-Radiusmower (ZTR mower);

FIG. 2 is perspective view of a typical prior art mower deck, of thetype that may be used with a ZTR mower;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of theinvention applied to a ZTR mower;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of only the mower deck in FIG. 3, showingan auxiliary tool associated with the mower deck by means of oneembodiment of a preferred, detachable coupling device and an auxiliarypower transmission arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing power transmission arrangement anddetail of the coupling device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detailed schematic view showing interaction between thecoupling device and driven pulley of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the details of one embodimentof a coupling device according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the details of an alternativeembodiment of a coupling device according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is an isolated perspective view of a mounting structure for theauxiliary tool;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a cableclutch that may optionally be included in the auxiliary powertransmission arrangement of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a mounting structure for the auxiliarytool that permits lateral adjustment of the tool by the operator;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a preferred mechanism for selectivelyengaging and disengaging auxiliary power transmission arrangementaccording to the invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of the mechanismshown in FIG. 12, illustrating the interior parts of the mechanism in adisengaged position; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of the mechanismshown in FIG. 12, illustrating the interior parts of the mechanism in anengaged position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a typical prior art Zero-Turn-Radiusmower (ZTR mower) 100 having a pair of rear drive wheels 104 that areindependently powered so that each rear drive wheel rotatesindependently of the other rear drive wheel. Each independent driveincludes an integrated hydrostatic pump and motor unit coupled to one ofthe rear drive wheels. Each hydrostatic pump may have a swash plate todefine a pump stroke between a full forward position, a neutralposition, and a reverse position. The ZTR mower has a frame 106supported on a forward end by front wheels 108, and a rear mountedengine 110 behind operator seat 112. The seat may be mounted over theframe for a seated operator to use left and right motion control leversor sticks 114. The left and right motion control levers or sticks 114are mounted on the ZTR mower and are pivotable between forward, neutraland reverse positions. Each motion control lever or stick is mounted tothe ZTR mower so that the lever may pivot forwardly to move a swashplate in the hydrostatic pump in a first direction to cause a rear drivewheel 104 to rotate forward, or pivot rearwardly to move the swash platein a second direction to cause the rear drive wheel to rotate backward.Each motion control lever or stick may have a neutral position in whichthe corresponding rear drive wheel is at rest. Each motion control leveror stick extends through an opening 140 adjacent or in front of theoperator's seat on a ZTR mower, where the base 117 of each motioncontrol lever or stick connects to the hydrostatic drive system of theZTR mower.

Below frame 106 is mounted a mower deck 120, which can be seen generallyin FIG. 1 and more completely in FIG. 2, which shows one common designfor a mower deck that can be employed in the case of a ZTR mower, butalso is representative of mower decks generally. Mower deck 120typically carries a plurality of rotary cutting blades (not shown here)that are driven by a belt drive system 122 comprised of at least onedrive belt 124 passing around a driven pulley 126. A safety or pulleyguard cover 128 covers the pulley 126 located on both sides of the mowerdeck 120. Drive belt 124 is powered by a drive pulley 129 (shown only inFIG. 2) that itself is powered by the engine 110.

The present invention is useful in connection with a very wide range ofimplements, including virtually any kind of mowing equipment. Forexample, FIG. 1 illustrates just one typical design of a ZTR mower, inthis case a sit-upon model. The invention can alternatively be used inconjunction a stand-upon design for a ZTR mower can be seen in US2017/0150681 A1, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated byreference. Further, the mower deck arrangement depicted in FIG. 2 isonly generally illustrative of the type of mower deck on which thedevice of the invention can be employed. Thus, for example, a mower deckof this general design is frequently attached beneath a so-called“garden tractor” or any other type of tractor, as shown, for example, inUS 2015/0121832 A1, the entire content of which is hereby incorporatedby reference. Use of the invention is also contemplated in virtually anyother configuration in which a mower deck is conveyed by a poweredvehicle for mowing, for example, a mower deck that is towed behind avehicle, either directly behind or laterally displaced (e.g., as shownin US 2014/0059991 A1) or a mower deck that is attached behind a vehicleusing a 3-point hitch and powered by a power take-off (PTO) as showne.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 8,166,735 The entire content of these last twodocuments is also hereby incorporated by reference.

In all of the illustrated embodiments of the application the auxiliarytool is depicted, for simplicity, as a string trimmer 50, mainly becausethis represents one of the most popular tools in use today for lawn andlandscaping care. However, it is to be understood that the presentinvention is applicable to and includes within its scope virtually anykind of auxiliary tool that is power driven, such as an edger, saw withrotary blade, grinder, blower, vacuum, sweeper or the like.

In accordance with the present invention, an auxiliary tool can beeasily attached to a mowing device and driven from the power source ofthe mowing device. The device according to the invention for extractingauxiliary power to drive an auxiliary tool is easily retrofittable to awide variety of powered devices, especially mowing devices. Thepower-extracting device of the invention interacts with a standard partthat is present in almost every mowing machine that employs a mowerdeck, namely, a hexagonal (or other suitably shaped) bolt head thatfastens a rotating pulley that is located over a mowing blade and thatis used to provide rotary power to the blade. A corresponding hexagonal(or other shape) socket member of the invention fits over the bolt headand transfers power to the auxiliary device via a flexible cable orother means. FIG. 6 illustrates schematically how the hexagonal bolthead 130 cooperates with one preferred embodiment of a coupling device42 according to the invention, which is bayonet-shaped and has ahexagonal recess 43 at its distal end. See also FIG. 5.

Mower decks typically include two blade-driving pulleys located at eachoutboard side of the deck, at positions that are readily accessible.Each of these pulleys is covered by a pulley guard cover provided by theoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM). There are several ways in whichthe hexagonal bolt heads can be accessed. In some cases, the OEMprovides a circular or other opening to provide access to the bolt head,with the openings being fitted with a removable cover. These designs arethe easiest to retrofit with the device of the invention, and having thedevice of the invention available to the market will encourage OEM's toprovide pulley guard covers of this type In the future. In other cases,it will be necessary to either cut or punch an opening in the pulleyguard cover, or to provide a custom replacement version of the OEMpulley guard cover that is provided with a suitable opening and cansimply replace the original pulley guard cover.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a ZTR mower 100 is illustrated that isretrofitted with a power coupling device 20 that is affixed to pulleyguard cover 128 of mower deck 120. Power coupling device 20 allows anauxiliary tool (not shown) to be readily detached and interchanged witha second tool, if desired. This is accomplished in one preferredembodiment by providing a bayonet coupling receiver 22 mounted on plate24, which is attached to pulley guard cover 128 in any conventionalmanner (by bolts, brackets, or the like), but, preferably in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 3, namely, by magnetic attraction. In theillustrated embodiment, a plurality of legs 26 are attached to plate 24,and at the bottom of at least one or more of the plurality of legs 26are located magnets 28 (wherein the magnets can be separately addedpieces or the legs themselves can be magnetic). Most preferably, atleast one or more, and most preferably all of the legs 26 embody meansfor adjusting the length of the leg, such as slots 27 that cooperatewith bolts 29 that are attached to plate 24, e.g., by welding. See alsoFIG. 7. Any kind of adjustment mechanism can be used here. Theadjustable legs 26 permit the power coupling device 20 to be retrofittedto virtually any shape of mower deck and/or pulley guard cover.

FIG. 4 is an isolated view of the mower deck 120 portion of thepreferred embodiment of the mowing machine 100, showing the completeassembled auxiliary tool 50 and the auxiliary power transmissionarrangement 40, which includes a bayonet-shaped fitting 42 at the end offlexible drive cable 44, so as to detachably cooperate with bayonetcoupling receiver 22 (FIG. 3), making it possible to selectively attachauxiliary tool 50 and/or selectively engage said tool with the mower'spower source. The flexible drive cable 44 transfers rotary power to theauxiliary tool 50, and enables arbitrary placement of tool 50 at anyposition on the mower deck 120. The auxiliary tool 50 is supported by asupport structure 60, which is described in more detail below withreference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the couplingdevice and auxiliary power transmission arrangement are designeddifferently, but perform the same functions. Instead of bayonetreceptacle 22 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the embodiment of FIG. 7employs an angled power transmission member 32 that is fixedly connectedto plate 24 at one end and is connected to flexible cable 44 at itsother end. The coupling device in this embodiment also employsadjustable legs 26 and magnetic members 28 at the base of the legs, forthe purpose of adjustably fitting and fixing the coupling device 20 tomower deck 120, with registration of pulley bolt head 130 (not shown)and hexangular recess 43 in a power-transferring engagement.

Another alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 8, in which angledpower transmission member 32 is also employed, but this time the endcloser to the mower deck 120 is provided with a bayonet-shaped fitting42, designed to cooperate with bayonet receptacle 22, to produce abayonet-type coupling configuration 41 as shown in FIG. 4. Further, thedeck mounting plate 27 holding the bayonet receptacle 22 is shown asbeing bolted or screwed (or otherwise temporarily fastened, e.g.,between clips, sliding or under fasteners) onto the pulley guard cover128. Although this manner of attachment is also relatively easilyremovable, the more preferred manner of attaching deck mounting plate 27is to make that plate of magnetic material, such that it may be veryeasily removed, adjusted or re-attached. Thus, in principle, any of theembodiments of the present invention can employ a magnetic plate 27 inplace of the plate 24 that is provided with adjustable legs. In the caseof a mower deck having a pulley guard cover with a flat surface, it ismost preferred to employ a magnetic deck mounting plate as shown in FIG.8, i.e., without any bolts. For any mowing devices that have an on-boardelectric power source, it is possible to employ electro-magnetic devicesin each location where a magnet is specified. An electro-magnetic devicecan be activated, for example, by switch 131 (FIG. 1).

Referring now to FIG. 9, the construction and operation of supportstructure 60 are now explained. The support structure is preferablydesigned to enable easy placement, as well as subsequent adjustment andeventual easy detachment of the support structure, at any desiredlocation on the mower deck 120. This is accomplished in this embodimentby providing a magnetic base member 62, that can be readily attached atany location. Preferably, support post 64 is provided with a means torender the post flexible, such as flexible member 66 located along thelength of post 64, for example, a spring member or a member formed fromflexible rubber or plastic. Thus, any auxiliary tool attached to supportarm 68 will avoid being damaged by contact with any obstacle, due to theshock-absorbing structure provided by flexible member 66. Furthermore,while the magnetic attachment of the support structure to the mower deckis more than sufficient to maintain the auxiliary tool in its selectedlocation and orientation, if the collision of the auxiliary tool with astationary object is of too great of force, the magnetic attachmentfeature also provides the advantage that break-away of the tool from themower can occur, so that neither the auxiliary tool, nor the supportstructure, nor the mower is damaged.

Support arm 68 can be either fixedly attached to support post 64, or itcan be attached in a manner that provides vertical adjustment and/orrotational adjustment to the auxiliary tool 50 attached. In oneembodiment, the support arm can be adjusted in height and/or horizontalarc of rotation with respect to the support post. Arm 68 can also or inthe alternative be mounted for articulation in a vertical arc, as shownby the arrows in FIG. 9, to provide vertical adjustment of the tool 50.

With reference to FIG. 11, a preferred support structure 60 isillustrated which provides for the lateral adjustment of auxiliary tool50. Support arm 68 is mounted so as to be horizontally supported bybracket 85 on support post 64 and to be horizontally slideable withinbracket 85. In this preferred embodiment, lateral movement of supportarm 68 is controlled by a rack-and-pinion drive comprised of rack teeth81 formed on support arm 68 and a pinion member 82 mounted or rotationon support post 64. In its simplest form, the support arm 68 can simplybe moved manually by the operator into the desired lateral location ofthe auxiliary tool 50. Also shown schematically is a drive member 83that can be remotely controlled by the operator to extend and retractauxiliary tool 50. For example, drive member 83 can be a reversibleelectric motor that is controlled remotely by a toggle switch 86 mountednear the operator and connected to a source of electric power carried onthe mower 100 or other implement, and operates the pinion gear 82 viadrive shaft 84. Obviously, many other alternative arrangements can beused to laterally move the support arm 68 with respect to the supportpost 64.

It is preferable to provide the auxiliary power transmission arrangementof the invention with a means for selectively engaging and disengagingthe auxiliary tool that is attached to the power-supplying implement. Inthe simplest sense, this can be accomplished by the operator manuallydisengaging the bayonet type coupling configuration 41 illustrated inFIGS. 3-6. In many instances, it is desirable for the operator toquickly and selectively engage and disengage the auxiliary tool 50 fromthe operator's seat, without taking his eyes off his work and/or withoutfreeing one hand for an extended period of time or being distracted inany way. Most preferably, engagement and disengagement does not involvecomplete removal of the coupling configuration.

A preferred embodiment for accomplishing this advantageous goal isillustrated in FIGS. 12-14, which show an auxiliary power transmissionarrangement 40 that is preferably comprised of an angled powertransmission member 32 that drives flexible cable 44 having cable core45 and cable spacer 46. Between deck mounting plate 27 and transmissionmember 32 is a selective power engagement/disengagement mechanism 90,which as seen in FIGS. 13 and 14, is capable of selectively loweringsocket piece 94 into engagement with bolt head 130, and selectivelyraising socket piece 94 out of engagement with bolt head 130 by means ofa helical slot and pin arrangement. Rotatable socket sleeve 96 andsocket piece 94, and has attached to it one or more helix lifting pins91 that are slideable in cooperating helix slots 92, by which socketsleeve 96 can be rotated to selectively lift or lower sleeve 96. Socketpiece 94, which contains the socket corresponding in shape to the bolthead 130, is rotatably suspended within socket sleeve 96 by socket pieceflange 95 that travels in socket sleeve groove 97. FIG. 13 shows socketpiece 94 selectively lifted out of engagement with bolt head 130,whereas FIG. 14 shows socket piece 94 selectively lowered intoengagement with bolt head 130.

Selective engagement and disengagement of the auxiliary powertransmission arrangement 40 can be done by the operator manuallyengaging and rotating one of the helix lifting pins 91; however, mostpreferably, the operator can remotely move/rotate the helix lifting pin91, for example, with a push-pull cable 99 (shown schematically in FIG.14) that is accessible at a location near the operator's seat. Thiscontrol, as well as the remote control 86 (FIG. 11) for laterallyadjusting the position of the auxiliary tool 50, can be incorporatedinto the control arrangement 131 on the mower, or in the case of aretrofitted auxiliary power transmission arrangement according to theinvention, one or more of the remote control devices (86, 99) can besupplied in the form of an auxiliary control panel that is adapted to betemporarily attached to the implement, in the vicinity of the operator'sseat. Temporary attaching can be accomplished by a suitable damparrangement attached to the auxiliary control panel, or more preferablyby the auxiliary control panel having a magnetic attachment element thatcan be selectively attached to the implement structure near theoperator's seat.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a solution isprovided for another problem that can be encountered when operating anauxiliary tool by a primary power source, namely, the problem thatdamage can occur in the auxiliary power transmission arrangement if theauxiliary tool encounters and obstacle that arrests or binds therotation of the auxiliary tool. In this case, the flexible cable thatdrives the auxiliary tool can be damaged or even broken. It is desiredto provide shock-absorbing protection against the cable being damagedwhen an event like this occurs.

FIG. 10 illustrates one preferred way of accomplishing this protection,by including in the flexible power-transmitting cable 44 a clutchmechanism, such as that shown in FIG. 10. Shown is a ball cable clutch70 comprised of a clutch ball 71 fixedly attached to one segment ofcable 74A, and a clutch cavity member 72 fixedly attached to the othercable segment 74B, with the clutch ball 71 resting in the cavity ofcavity member 72. Spring 73 is under compression between cable collar 75and clutch cavity member 72. Under normal compression force, clutch ball71 cannot rotate within clutch cavity member 72, so that it conveys therotational force between cable segments 74A and 748, to drive theauxiliary tool 50. The degree of compression is set so that, in the caseof a temporary slow-down or stoppage of tool 50, the ball 71 will becaused to slip in cavity member 72, to prevent damage or breakage of thecable. In the event that the tool strikes an immovable object that tendsto stop rotation of the tool, the ball cable clutch mechanism willprotect the tool from damage by providing at least some degree ofslippage between tool and driving force within the cable.

The ball cable clutch mechanism described here not only has theadvantage of providing a simple shock-absorbing or break-away method ofprotecting the cable from damage, but also offers another way ofselectively engaging and disengaging the auxiliary tool 50.

Any mechanism for selectively shortening cable segment 74A, e.g., byhaving a gap that can be pulled together or by having a cam mechanismthat can be selectively rotated to shorten or lengthen that cablesegment, causes the frictional force between ball and cavity to increaseor decrease, thereby selectively transmitting force from cable segment74A to cable segment 74B. Alternatively, shortening of cable segment 74Acan also be accomplished by simply bending the cable segment.

The present invention has been described and illustrated with referenceto certain preferred embodiments. Many alternative but equivalentchanges and/or configurations will be apparent to persons skilled in theart upon reading this description. It is to be understood, therefore,that the scope of protection is to be determined by the appended claims,which are intended to encompass such obvious equivalents.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   power coupling device 20-   bayonet coupling receiver 22-   plate 24-   legs 26-   deck mounting plate 27-   magnets 28-   slots 27-   bolts 29-   angled power transmission member 32-   auxiliary power transmission arrangement 40-   bayonet-type coupling configuration 41-   bayonet-shaped fitting 42-   hexagonal recess 43-   flexible drive cable 44-   drive cable core 45-   drive cable spacer 46-   string trimmer 50-   support structure 60-   magnetic base member 62-   support post 64-   flexible member 66-   support arm 68-   ball cable clutch 70-   clutch ball 71-   cavity member 72-   Spring 73-   segment of cable 74A-   cable segment 74A-   cable collar 75-   rack gears 81-   pinion gear 82-   horizontal support 83-   drive shaft 84-   bracket 85-   toggle switch 86-   selective power engaging/disengaging mechanism 90-   helix lifting pin 91-   helix slot 92-   lock-out helix detent 93-   socket piece 94-   socket piece flange 95-   rotatable socket sleeve 96-   rotatable socket sleeve groove 97-   casing 98-   push-pull cable 99-   zero-turn mower (ZTR mower) 100-   rear drive wheel 104-   ZTR mower has a frame 106-   front wheels 108-   engine 110-   operator seat 112-   control levers or sticks 114-   base 117 of each motion control lever-   mower deck 120-   belt drive system 122-   drive belt 124-   pulley guard cover 128-   drive pulley 129-   pulley bolt head 130-   switch 131-   pulley bolt 132-   opening 140

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on animplement that includes a mower deck having at least one moving partthat acts as a power source for supplying auxiliary power to theauxiliary tool from the power source that is installed and associatedwith the implement, wherein the moving part comprises a bolt head or nuton a drive- or driven-pulley on the mower deck, comprising: installingon the implement a coupling device that comprises a socket that coupleswith the bolt or nut to interact with the moving part installed on theimplement, wherein, when the coupling device is positioned to interactwith the moving part that acts as the power source, the coupling deviceextracts auxiliary power from the power source; associating an auxiliarytool with the implement in a manner such that the auxiliary tool can beoperated by means of the auxiliary power that is extracted by thecoupling device from the power source installed on the implement; andarranging an auxiliary power transmission arrangement for transmittingauxiliary power from the coupling device to the auxiliary tool, whereinat least one of the steps of installing the coupling device andassociating the auxiliary tool comprises magnetically installing thecoupling device and/or magnetically associating the auxiliary tool withthe implement.
 22. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on animplement as claimed in claim 21, wherein the coupling device ismagnetically installed.
 23. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary toolon an implement as claimed in claim 22, wherein the coupling device iscapable of variable configurations.
 24. A method for retrofitting anauxiliary tool on an implement as claimed in claim 21, wherein theauxiliary tool is magnetically associated with the implement.
 25. Amethod for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement as claimed inclaim 21, wherein the auxiliary tool comprises a trimmer.
 26. A methodfor retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement as claimed in claim25, wherein the coupling device is magnetically installed and theauxiliary tool is magnetically associated with the implement.
 27. Amethod for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement as claimed inclaim 21, wherein the power transmission arrangement comprises ashock-absorbing and/or break-away device.
 28. A method for retrofittingan auxiliary tool on an implement as claimed in claim 27, wherein theshock-absorbing and/or break-away device includes a clutch member.
 29. Amethod for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement as claimed inclaim 21, wherein the auxiliary tool comprises a shock-absorbing device.30. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement asclaimed in claim 29, wherein the shock-absorbing device comprises a toolsupport including a flexible member.
 31. A method for retrofitting anauxiliary tool on an implement as claimed in claim 24, wherein the stepof magnetically associating the auxiliary tool with the implement iscapable of plural arbitrarily-selectable mounting configurations uponthe implement.
 32. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on animplement as claimed in claim 25, wherein the implement comprises amowing device having a mower deck that comprises at least one drivenpulley, with which the coupling device interacts, and the mowing devicecomprises a ZTR mowing device.
 33. A method for retrofitting anauxiliary tool on an implement as claimed in claim 22, wherein themagnetically installed coupling device comprises at least one movablesupport member for supporting the coupling device on the implement. 34.A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement as claimedin claim 21, wherein the auxiliary tool further comprises a device forselectively adjusting the lateral position of the auxiliary tool withrespect to the implement.
 35. A method for retrofitting an auxiliarytool on an implement as claimed in claim 34, wherein the device forselectively adjusting the lateral position of the auxiliary tool withrespect to the implement comprises a remotely controlled rack-and-piniondevice.
 36. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implementas claimed in claim 28, wherein the clutch member comprises a ball cableclutch.
 37. A method for retrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implementas claimed in Tim 21, wherein the drive- or driven-pulley on the mowerdeck is covered by an original cover member, and wherein the step ofinstalling the coupling device on the implement further comprises one ofthe following steps: (a) installing the coupling device over an openingpre-provided in the original cover member; (b) first providing anopening in the original cover member; or (c) providing a replacementcover member for the original cover member, having an appropriateopening therein for installing the coupling device.
 38. A kit forretrofitting an auxiliary tool on an implement by the method as claimedin claim 21, wherein the implement includes a mower deck having at leastone moving part that acts as a power source for supplying auxiliarypower to the auxiliary tool from the power source that is installed andassociated with the implement, wherein the moving part comprises a bolthead or nut on a drive- or driven-pulley on the mower deck, comprising:a coupling device that comprises a socket that is configured to couplewith the bolt head or nut on the drive- and/or driven-pulley to interactwith the moving part installed on the implement, wherein, when thecoupling device is positioned to interact with the moving part that actsas a power source, the coupling device extracts auxiliary power from thepower source; an auxiliary tool configured to be associated with theimplement in a manner such that the auxiliary tool is operable by theauxiliary power that is extracted by the coupling device from the powersource installed on the implement; and an auxiliary power transmissionarrangement for transmitting auxiliary power from the coupling device tothe auxiliary tool, wherein at least one of the coupling device and theauxiliary tool comprises a magnetically actuated attachment member forassociating the at least one of the coupling device and the auxiliarytool with the implement.
 39. A kit as defined in claim 38, wherein thedrive- or driven-pulley on the mower deck is covered by an originalcover member, and further comprising a replacement cover member for theoriginal cover member, having an appropriate opening therein forinstalling the coupling device.
 40. A kit as defined in claim 38,wherein both the coupling device and the auxiliary tool comprise themagnetically actuated attachment member.